So let's just say you happened to stumble upon this website. You might be wondering: "Wow, how did I get here." Or, "All of this for a blog?!" I am here to tell you it hasn't always been like this - it took some work to get here; a whole lot of work.

It all started with a thought which didn't turn into a vision until years later. I've never been much of a visionary and this is something I've had to learn and grow in over the years. Talk about a lot of work! On top of my 9-5 job, I wanted to do more - write and share my stories. Stories of faith, love, happiness and hope. Many years later after the initial thought, this all turned into my vision - the vision for A Life With A View.

I had no idea I had to have a plan, or did I? For most things yes - and other things like my writing and not holding myself back, I had to let my writing flow. The thoughts in my mind had to take shape to move fear out of the way. I had to stop being afraid of being intentional and share my stories no matter if I thought people would point and laugh at me.

My first blog, Faith In Renewing Each Other, was a bright orange color since all I wanted to do was write - I didn't care about the colors and how it looked at the time. The titles for my blog posts at the time were vague and I really had to dig deep and pull out what I wanted to say and guess what? I eventually found out if I write like I am sitting or visiting with a friend the words came much easier. I think I was trying too hard to be perfect - getting the perfect blog post in line and this held me back for a long time - over a year to be exact.

In early 2016, I decided to make some changes to the blog and use a new template which was on Blogger at the time. Pretty blues, greens and color which speaks to my personality. It took almost 3 years for me to realize the vibrancy of color and how it makes me feel makes me a better writer. I began feeling good about my writing and taking online courses, webinars and classes. Changing my daily schedule and staying up a little later and also getting up earlier allowed me to pour into my writing, my blog and while absorbing all the things I was learning, it allowed me to refocus and come up with a clear vision going forward.

There were so many lessons learned from standing up the blog. My book, A Life With A View, was published in 2015 and it wasn't until 2016 where I changed the name of my blog to A Life With A View. Imagine that? Everything looks pretty now but behind the scenes just one year ago, everything from my thoughts to my writing regimen was all over the place. This caused me to be all over the place too and something had to change.

The change had to be me putting in the work. I had to get busy and hone in on my purpose and why I am doing what I do. Is it for me? For others? People ask this all the time and I think the answer is different for people who write. It is ok to write for yourself and also help others. I strive for a combination of both. Once I stopped trying to do what other people wanted me to do or what they said I should do - guess what? I now have about 15 blog titles in draft. Most of them are stories for the journey I'm on and others are to help someone else along their journey. Even with my stories I hope you can picture yourself on this path - the path to finding your purpose, being intentional and navigating your way through this life.

Pretty pictures are great but hard work is even greater when you see the fruits of your labor come true. Once moving to the new website platform in late 2016, I often think about all of the work, thoughts, labor and prayer which went into me taking this leap. I feel like I can breathe a little bit easier now since the structure of the website and blog are done and now I need to continue to grow as a writer and follow my purpose.

I look forward to hearing what your behind the scenes looks like. Whether it is a hobby, a writing piece, or a dream you want to pursue, it takes faith, work, passion and perseverance. All you need to get started is the desire to do something; to make a change.